WHAMMY! GameControl, Season 2 version 2.1 December 10, 2003 by Jason Wuthrich INTRODUCTION ------------ The new generation of the cult classic has come to the GameControl franchise. Now _you_ have control over the game, but the question is, can you keep Whammy under control as you try for his Big Bank? MODIFICATIONS IN VERSION 1.1 ---------------------------- - Car key tokens added to contestant podiums - New variable holds the value of the car; when overriding a player's total or the value of the Big Bank, enter CAR to add the value of the car MODIFICATIONS IN VERSION 1.11 ----------------------------- - Cash spaces and prizes now look more like the actual show - Car key tokens added to the Big Bank MODIFICATIONS IN VERSION 1.2 ---------------------------- - Test procedure where double-clicking ends the program removed - Option to switch all screens at once in round 3 MODIFICATIONS IN VERSION 2.0 ---------------------------- - Source code rewritten - Individual prize lists for each player MODIFICATIONS IN VERSION 2.1 ---------------------------- - Three different whammy pictures on board - Whammy! logo in Big Bank INSTALLATION ------------ Before you start up the game, decompress the package using PKZIP or WINZIP, or Windows XP's Zip wizard. If you down- loaded the Sound Packs, create a directory called "sounds" in the same directory as the .exe, then unzip all the .wav files into "sounds". TO START THE GAME ----------------- Double click on "Whammy.exe" or select it from the Run menu. GAMEPLAY (as seen on the show) ------------------------------ Three players start with $1,000 and take turns spinning on the Whammy! game board. On the board are cash amounts ranging from $300 to $1,500, prizes, whammys, and other special spaces, including the top half of a car key (see "Variations" below). If they land on a cash amount or a prize, it is added to their total, but if anyone hits a Whammy, his/her score drops to zero and they are eliminated from the round. After each player has spun, more whammys are added to the board. Any player who not already whammied can freeze and carry their total over to the final round. Round 2 is the question round. The host asks a question, and the first player to buzz in gets the first chance to answer. Their answer becomes one of three choices for the other two players. If no one buzzes in after three seconds, three possible answers are given to all three players. A correct buzz-in answer is worth three spins, while a correct multiple choice answer earns one spin. After five questions, it's time for round 3, where contestants go back to the board and use the spins they have earned for even bigger stakes. The cash denominations now vary from $500 to $5,000, and some values include additional spins or the option to spin again. This is also where you'll find the bottom half of the car key. However, the Whammys are now joined by "Double Whammys", which take their money but...leave the player a little something to remember them by. However, a player who hits a Double Whammy is only charged with one Whammy. Any player who accumulates four Whammys total is eliminated from the game. New for the second season, every time a player hits a Whammy, all of his/her winnings are placed in Whammy's Big Bank, which starts every game with $3,000 in cash. If a player can land on a Big Bank space and answer an open-ended question correctly, all of the cash and prizes in the Big Bank are added to his/her score and the Big Bank is reset to $3,000. If the player misses the Big Bank question, the spin is wasted. In round 3, play starts with the player with the least money, with the leading player after round 1 spinning last. Ties are broken in this manner: 1. Fewest spins plays first. 2. Fewest buzz-in answers plays first. 3. Play goes from left to right. Players may pass their remaining spins at any time to the higher-scoring opponent, and any player with passed spins must continue spinning until he/she exhausts them or hits a Whammy or Double Whammy, whichever occurs first. If a player whammys using a passed spin, any remaining passed spins are automatically converted to earned spins, meaning he/she can now pass those spins back. After all the spins have been used, the player with the most money wins the game. FILES ----- Whammy! GameControl uses three types of files: Initialization, gameboard, and prize files. The initialization file, WHAMMY.INI sets the default values for certain aspects of the game. Gameboard files contain the values of the spaces. WHAMMY2-1.DAT - Used on most episodes of the show. WHAMMY2-2.DAT - Used in later episodes. WHAMMY2-3.DAT - Used in the Tournament of Champions finals. To create your own game board file, list the 54 space captions, square by square (for instance, the "big bucks" amounts should be the 7th, 8th, and 9th set of values). For each one, enter its value directly underneath, like this: $1,100 1100 Most spaces have a preset color attached to them. You can manually select a color for each space by prefixing each space with an "at" sign (@), then type in the color name on the line AFTER the space value. Colors recognized on this board are YELLOW, RED, GREEN, PURPLE, BLUE, and AQUA (TURQUISE and CYAN are also acceptable). Of course, since there are over 16 million colors out there, to use another color, use a pound sign (#) followed by the six-character hexadecimal repesentation of the new color. For instance: @$1,200 @$850 1200 850 AQUA #FF8040 The figure on the left is for an aqua $1200 space (the default color for this demonimation is red), while the right figure produces an $850 space in hot pink. For directional spaces, use "MOVE 1", "ADVANCE x", or "GO BACK x", where "x" is number of spaces to move. Append "+SPIN" for an extra spin, "/LOSE WHAMMY" for the option to lose a whammy, or "/SPIN" for the option to spin again. New for season two, you can use "KEY-T" to represent the top half of the car key and "KEY-B" for the bottom half. Season two of the show uses three different Whammy graphics on the game board. New to v2.1, to use these pictures, use the format "WHAMMY-x", where "x" is either 1, 2, or 3, as follows: 1 - Whammy looking around with a sneering grin 2 - Whammy dancing 3 - Whammy sticking his tongue out NOTE: Number 1 of the default picture. Prize files contain the captions, values, and colors. Unlike the gameboard file, each prize is on a separate line, delimited by commas. Again, only use colors if the leftmost character is an "at" sign. For example: HUMIDOR,120 @M&Ms,200,#008040 MAUI,3800,CYAN @PERSONAL CHEF,1050 The top two lines are OK, but the bottom two may cause problems. To show prize names on more than one line, use the slash (/) as a separator. If you want the slash appear in the prize caption, double it, like this: TV//DVD/COMBO will appear as: TV/DVD COMBO Prize files exist in pairs, one for round 1 prizes ending in 1.DAT and one for round 3 prizes ending in 2.DAT. Also note is the first prize and the last prize are the same. This allows a cycling effect among the available prizes. Future versions will have new extensions for the gameboard and prize files, and a utility to edit them with. CONTROLS -------- As stated above, Whammy! GameControl gives you full control over the game board and the score displays. Here is a run- down of which keys do what: Enter - When the board is stopped, starts it spinning; when it is spinning, forces the spaces to change values. Space - When spinning, stops the board. Tab - Changes the camera view to the scoreboard. Shift-Tab - Changes the camera view to the gameboard. Q - Loads the round 1 board W - Loads the round 3 board A - Moves the pointer to the top-center space, where the highest-dollar values are always located. R - Moves the pointer back two spaces. T - Moves the pointer back one space. Y - Advances the pointer one space. U - Advances the pointer two spaces. B - Toggles buzz-in mode P - Changes the prize in the current space. I - Increases the increment of the flashing pointer; with the Shift key, decreases the increment. N - Shows the current space in the center circle. V - Shows the value of the current space. F - Toggles the size of the text in cash spaces. M - Adds the amount lost to the last whammy hit to the Big Bank. Ctrl-P - Highlights all of the prizes currently showing (used with Pick A Prize); during a spin, forces to stop at a random prize showing on the board. Ctrl-W - During a spin, forces to stop on a whammy. Ctrl-D - Shows whammys in all screens; while during a spin, forces to stop on a double whammy. Ctrl-F - Select the gameboard and prize files. Ctrl-N - Edits the current space, by asking for the space's new caption, value, and color. The color is selected from a dropdown box containing several options. Since Windows has 16 million colors to choose from, select "other..." to choose your own color. Ctrl-T - See a list of scores to perhaps add your score to (See Tournament Play below). Ctrl-M - Resets the Big Bank to $3,000 (or whichever starting amount is specified in the .INI file). Ctrl-B - Shows the Whammy! logo in the Big Bank monitor. Alt-A - On some episodes, the squares in round 3 switch all at once (like in round 1) instead of six at a time. This keystroke toggles between round 1 and 3 spinning modes (used in round 3 only). Alt-B - Prompts for a new Big Bank value; to add to the Big Bank instead of resetting it, prefix the amount to add with a plus sign (+); entering a negative value subtracts that amount. Enter +CAR to add the car to the Big Bank. Alt-N - Toggles the top half of the car key in the Big Bank. Alt-M - Toggles the bottom half of the car key in the Big Bank. F4 - Starts a 3-second clock; if no one has buzzed in, the time's-up signal sounds. F5 - Turn the current space to a new whammy. F6 - Enter the players' names. F7 - Toggles "Smart Whammy" mode. In this mode, new whammys added to the board via the F5 key are placed in this sequence: - Cash amounts are replaced first, in lowest order. - Directional squares and other non-prize squares (like Pick-a-Prize are replaced next). - Prizes and car key halves can never be replaced in this mode. If Smart Whammy mode is off, new whammys replace the slide currently showing. F8 - Flashes all lights. F9 - Turns off all players' indicator lights. Backspace - Removes all whammys "made" with F5. - (hyphen) - Change a player's score (you'll be prompted which player you want to change, then the new total). + (plus sign) - Adds to a player's score (you'll be prompted which player you want to change, then the amount to add). NOTE: To add the car to the player's total, enter CAR. \ (backslash) - Toggles the sound. ` (back apostrophe) - Special spin board (see below). Alt-E - Ends the program. Key groups: These groups of three keys affect the score displays for each of the three players. In most cases, the shift key does the opposite. F10 F11 F12 - Turns on the players' indicator light; in buzz- mode, the other players are locked out [ ] ' - Adds the value of the last space hit to the player's score , . / - Adds a spin to the earned column. K L ; - Adds a spin to the passed column. Z X C - A Whammy pops up in front of the player; with the Ctrl key, toggles a Whammy on the player's screen indicating he/she has whammied out of the game. F1 F2 F3 - Sets the player's total to $0; with the Shift key, the score is reset to the last total zeroed out; with the Ctrl key, "fades" out their score; with the Alt key, "flattens" their score. 1 2 3 - If the current space is a prize, adds the prize to the player's prize list, with the Alt key, freezes the player's score; with the Ctrl key, blacks out a player's score without the "freeze" graphics or sound effect. 4 5 6 - Doubles a player's score; with the Ctrl key, adds the Big Bank to the player's score; with the Alt key, toggles the top half of the car key. 7 8 9 - With the Alt key, toggles the bottom half of the car key. G H J - Passes a player's spins (This will not work if the player has passes of his/her own or if their opponents are tied); with the Shift key, moves passed spins to the earned column. Q W E - With the Ctrl key, show the player's prize list, including the car if that player has both halves of the car key. There are other functions not explained here. TOURNAMENT PLAY --------------- If you wish to track of scores, press Ctrl-T to show the Tournament board. It consists of 60 slots, and below them are the current scores. To load a file, press Load and select a file from the list. In this version, these files can have a .DAT or .TXT extension. To store a score, drag one of the players' scores to any cell. To change the value of any cell, simply double-click it to type the new score, and press Enter. Clicking Save will prompt you for a filename. Click Exit to return to the game. USING THESE CONTROLS IN A REGULATION GAME ----------------------------------------- When the round 1 board is loaded, the "current value" variable used to record the value of the last space hit is automatically set to $1,000. Use the Add-money keys to start each player with that amount, and press Ctrl-M to put $3,000 in the Big Bank. After each turn, use F5 to place more whammys on the board, and use Alt-1, Alt-2, or Alt-3 to freeze a players' score. If a player lands on the top half of the car key, press Alt-4, Alt-5, or Alt-6. If a player whammys, press F1, F2, or F3 to reset their score to zero and Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2, or Ctrl-3 to indicate that player is out of the round. The amount lost is in stored in memory; press the M key to add their winnings to the Big Bank. If a player with half the key whammys, press Alt-4, Alt-5 or Alt-6 again to remove that half, then press Alt-N to add it to the Bank. If the Big Bank is won, use Ctrl-4, Ctrl-5, or Ctrl-6 to add the Big Bank to the player's score, then press Alt-4/5/6 IF the half- key was included, and press Ctrl-M to reset the Big Bank to $3,000. GameControl does not include questions, but you can ask you own questions and use buzz-in mode to determine who buzzed in first. After the question is asked, press F4 to start the 3-second timer. Remember to press W to activate the spin columns for the question round and to unfreeze the scores and turn-off buzz-in mode before round 3 starts. As another alternative to questions, press the back-apostrophe key (`) to load the spin board. Each player can take four spins of this board, with spins added using the Add-earned-spin keys. If you prefer buzz-in mode after loading the spin board, these keys default to adding three spins. Use the Add-passed-spin keys to add one spin. Pressing these keys with the Shift button subtracts spins. Whether or not you actually use the spin board, you need to press the back-apostrophe to get the score monitors to display the spin totals like on the show. If a player lands on the bottom half of the key, use Alt-7, Alt-8, or Alt-9. If a player holds the complete car key, press + to add a value, enter the player's number, then when prompted for a value to add, type CAR and press Enter to add the value of the car to that player's score. Should a Whammy or Double Whammy take that half key away, press Alt-M to put it in the Big Bank. If the entire key ends up in the Bank one half at a time, press Alt-B, then type +CAR and press Enter. New to version 2.0, prize lists can be kept for each player. To add to a player's prize list, press 1, 2, or 3. When a player's total is zeroed out, the prize list is automatically cleared, and these prizes can be placed in the Big Bank. If the Big Bank is claimed, all prizes in the Big Bank are added back to the player's list. This new feature is most useful at the end of the game when the winner's prizes are announced. NOTE: When a new override value is entered in the Big Bank using Alt-B, its prize list is cleared. VARIATIONS ---------- GameControl allows you to create your own rules. For example: - New for season 2, the board now contains car key halves, as mentioned above. If you collect both halves the key, use the Override-Add keys to add the value of the car to your score. If you whammy with half the car key, though, it goes in the Big Bank, and if anyone with the other half whammys, the car goes in the Big Bank! You can, if you wish, carry the top half of the key over to round 3. - You can claim the Big Bank just by landing on it, without having to answer a question. - In case you don't have anything to dump on a player who hits a Double Whammy, have them count as 2 whammys. - Create a board with no whammys at all to start with, then add whammys as you go along at your discretion. On the show, no more new whammys are added after the fifth pass, at which time the chances of hitting a whammy are better than 1 in 3. - Play round 3 without spins, alternating turns like in round 1 and try to reach a set amount without whammying. - Designate one spin as the "double play" spin; whoever is playing that spin can double what they land on. - Double whammys in round 1! - Add a bonus round (or tiebreaker round) where a player can multiply what they get by the number of spins they earned in round 2. Another variation: they can give it back and spin again, but the multiplier is reduced by one. If they whammy (or double whammy), the round is over. - And of course, you can put on the board any domination you want--as little as $1 and as much as $1,000,000! ABOUT GAMECONTROL ----------------- Press Your Luck was first brought to the Internet by Brian Dominy, whose GameControl version was first written in the waning days of the CBS version. This program, written with Microsoft QuickBasic, used a DOS platform. Later, Curt King developed a full-functional PYL game including graphics and sounds. While this game is regarded as the best PYL re-creation on the 'net, for years I've been wanting to create a PYL game with all the user-control capabilities of Brian's program and the look and sound of Curt's game. Then, "Whammy!" came along. I have been tinkering with this new program ever since the show premiered, and I released it on the internet in March 2003. WHAMMY! FAQ ----------- Q) Is "Whammy!" really the third incarnation of the show? A) Yes it is. "Whammy!" started out as the short-lived "Second Chance" on ABC in 1977. Six years later, it was revived on CBS as "Press Your Luck". Although its three- year-run wasn't as long as other daytime game shows, it gained cult classic status through an eight-year off- network run on the USA cable network. FremantleMedia, which purchased the rights to PYL from co-creator/executive producer Bill Carruthers in the late 1990s, started foreign versions of PYL overseas and explored the possibility of mounting a revival in the United States. Game Show Network leased 200 episodes in 2001, and PYL soon ended "The Newlywed Game"'s four-year-run as GSN's most-watched title, leading the two parties to produce a new version of PYL. Q) But why call it "Whammy!"? A) Today's average television viewer is more likely to remember PYL not as "Press Your Luck" per se, but "that fun game show with the whammys". When "Whammy!" premiered in April 2002, it went by the compromised title "Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck", in order to satisify both those viewers who remember PYL just for the whammys and the hard-core viewers who loved the game itself. Q) Is Todd Newton included in the game? A) No, he said feels too cramped inside a computer program. [rim shot] Q) Where are the prize icons? A) Aren't you that same person who asked why there is no TPiR dollar sign on the chips in my Plinko game? Q) When adding the car to either the Big Bank or a player's score, does the word CAR have to be all uppercase? A) No, the system accepts mixed-case for this function. Q) Can I Larson-ize this gameboard? A) No. Just as the board on the show is Michael-Larson-proof (i.e. completely random), so is this board. Q) Hey, even without Larson patterns, I still racked up $10,000! When do I get my check? A) Right after scientists successfuly clone Bill Cullen. Money is nothing more than a unit of score in this game. Q) How is it that I have to answer a question to get the Big Bank? A) According to manager of development Mandel Ilagan, the idea for the Big Bank started as a way to add more questions to the game. The fact it puts (potentially) more money into the game didn't hurt. Q) Now that you've got GameControls for "Whammy!" and "Press Your Luck", when can we expect one for "Second Chance"? A) By popular demand, that's my next project. Stay tuned. FOR MORE GAMES -------------- Visit the Game Show Warehouse at: http://webrookie.multiservers.com Become a Preferred Browser to learn some features not covered in this documentation. Details at the site. CREDITS ------- Programming/Source code: Jason Wuthrich Sounds: Jay Lewis John Ricci David Frangioso Sivak Drac BigJon's PC Games WHAMMY designed by: Wit Animation Theme music by: Alan Ett Music Group Special thanks to: Brad Francini Brian Dominy Curt King Jason Hernandez Mandel Ilagan Kris Lane WHAMMY! GameControl is based on the Game Show Network original produced in association with FremantleMedia North America, LLC. No challenge to ownership is or will ever be implied. (c) 2003 Three Cats, Ltd. (tm)(c) 2003 FremantleMedia NA and Game Show Network, LLC All rights reserved.